There is much discussion of which tools a weaver needs to have. Some people want to make longer/wider warps. Some don’t. Some want to make complicated stripe sequences. Some don’t.
There are a variety of tools, most them with some limitations so when someone asks if they should have X, the first thing I need to know is why they want that tool. What problem are they hoping to overcome? What is their goal? How will they want to use it? Etc.
I have two looms right now. One I haven’t touched in a few years because of some on-going health issues. But it is a 4 shaft Leclerc Fanny – roller counterbalanced 4 shaft loom with standard warp beam. On that loom I have made tons of stuff. It was the ‘perfect’ tool for short run scarves, especially rayon chenille. It was the loom I turned to to make limited numbers of particular items, or for warps that required a firm beat. I did stripes where I was not constrained by the limitations of the tension box and sectional warping process.
On that loom I was limited to about 13 meters, and the weaving width was 36″. (I know – I use both systems in the studio.)
However, if I wanted to make more than a few items on a warp, or needed more than 4 shafts, I would use my other loom. Until 2019 my ‘big’ loom was an AVL 60″ weaving width, 16 shafts, compu-dobby, fly shuttle, auto cloth advance, and sectional beams (there were two). When I ‘retired’ I retired the AVL and bought a Megado – also with compu-dobby, 16 shafts, sectional beam, but no flying shuttle and narrower in width.
When I retired the AVL and bought the Megado, I got the Louet tension box. But the Megado has a slanted back beam, and I didn’t care too much for the Louet tension box, so I asked Doug if he could fit the AVL tension box to the Megado and then I could keep on using the AVL tension box.
I didn’t like the way the Louet tension box was configured, didn’t like the slant it sat in on the loom or the thread ‘guide’. I had tried the Leclerc tension box, which has, imho, limitations that didn’t sit well with me. So Doug figured out how to mount the tension box rail from the AVL onto the Megado and I’ve continued using the AVL tension box since.
The Megado has a much smaller warp beam, which I don’t like but don’t see any way to adapt the loom to having a larger diameter beam. Plus I’m not beaming 100 yard long warps anymore. Mostly I do around 20-24 or so yards.
The AVL has a front thread guide (narrow reed) that swivels, which allows for adjustment of the width of the ribbon of warp ends. And it has a very efficient way of moving the box along the rail, able to make very fine adjustments to get the box – and therefore the ribbon of warp – placed in the best possible position for beaming.
It’s still not ‘perfect’, but close enough for my needs at this point in time.
Should you have one? Well, they don’t come cheap and there are some ‘limitations’ that might be a negative for you.
There are other options that might be ‘better’ – the Warping Wheel and the Warping Square (essentially the ‘same’ tool, made by two different companies).
One of the reasons to go in person to conferences is to wander the vendor hall and be able to see – and in some cases – try out new tools, see how they ‘fit’ for you and what you want to do.
The more you know, the better able you can make decisions.
Leave a Reply